The Inland Empire has been hard-hit the past decade by defections among top basketball players. Guys who were from here … but didn’t stick around to graduate from a local high school. Or even attend one.

The two most prominent are Tyson Chandler and Antoine Wright of the NBA’s New Orleans Hornets and New Jersey Nets, respectively.

Chandler and Wright played against each other as middle-schoolers in San Bernardino. Wright’s recollection is that his Golden Valley team defeated Chandler’s Arrowview team for the city middle-school championship, in 1997.

Neither stuck around.

Instead of playing at Pacific High School, Chandler went to Compton Dominguez and straight into the NBA, the No. 2 pick in the 2001 draft. Instead of playing for Cajon, Wright went to Lawrence Academy in Groton, Mass., then to Texas A&M and into the NBA as the No. 15 pick in the 2005 draft.

Basketball players bail on the IE for reasons good and bad. A free education at a prep school; a connection with a shoe company that funnels kids to certain schools; a preference to play at schools with perceived higher visibility.

Jerry Tivey, former basketball coach at Cajon, wonders how much local kids gain by leaving friends and family. Especially the kids who are good players but not great.

Said Tivey: “They could have stayed local, finished their career, maybe had a little more investment from the local coach, maybe get to a local JC and parlay an education out of it.”

Richard Roby is Colorado’s leading scorer and could be the next “San Bernardino” kid in the NBA. The 6-6 junior averages 16.1 points per game.

Kenyon Martin of the Denver Nuggets, the No. 1 pick in the 2000 draft, is Richard Roby’s half-brother. Paul Roby, onetime San Bernardino Valley College standout (1977-78) is the father of both players. Martin told the New York Times in 2000 that he had met his father only once.

Diana Taurasi’s never-ending basketball season is in its Russia incarnation. She scored 15 points for Spartak Moscow in its 96-62 victory over Valenciennes on Wednesday.

Taurasi returns to the WNBA in April, goes to the Olympics in China in August, then back to the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, presumably back to Russia next winter. Good thing she is only 25.

High today in Moscow is forecast to be 22 degrees. Taurasi’s hometown of Chino will beat that by 30 degrees.

Taurasi is keenly aware she has her schedule backwards. She spends winters in Moscow, summers in Phoenix.

Prentice Harris, Upland High School alumnus, Cal State San Bernardino graduate and Chaffey College assistant coach, spent five days in Singapore two weeks ago with the San Diego Warriors of the ABA.

The Warriors played two games vs. Olympic Beijing, losing 103-93 and 112-104. Harris scored 15 points in the first game and 17 in the second.

Harris, on the trip: “It was my first time overseas. Singapore is a great place to visit. It has a lot of Western influence, like Burger King, but it’s very different, too. The way things are just left open in stores … Nobody steals anything, I guess, because the consequences are so severe.”

Singapore is known for its draconian legal system.

Sheldon Pace, Harris’ Upland teammate, plays for Olympic Beijing and scored 29 points in Game 1 and 26 in the second.

Harris, on Singapore fans: “They cheer for both sides. If somebody makes a play, they cheer. It’s weird. I guess they’re just happy to see a game.”

Cal State San Bernardino will attempt to break its home attendance record (4,297) when it plays host to Humboldt State at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The Coyotes have given tickets to 30 San Bernardino schools and have had them distributed by Baker’s Restaurants, as well.

The Winter X Games are in their 12th incarnation. Not many recall the inaugural edition of ESPN’s icy extraganza was held at Snow Summit in Big Bear Lake, in 1997.

It wasn’t a good match. Snow Summit lost out on paying customers, and ESPN wanted someone who would put on the event on Martin Luther King Day weekend.

“Ice climbing” was part of the original Winter X Games program. Interesting concept, but it turned out to be way too slow for ESPN.

Nicole “Peanut” Kajitani is slated to be the starting shortstop for the Tennessee softball team, according to Tivey, her prep coach.

Three top awards in the National Pro Fastpitch League went to locally developed players. Amber Jackson (Kaiser) was player of the year, Desiree Serrano (Colton) was pitcher of the year and Veronica Wootson (Miller) was offensive player of the year.

Kudos: To the New York Giants for getting to the Super Bowl by winning three road games in the playoffs.

Condolences: To the Giants, for getting to the Super Bowl … with the New England Patriots waiting for them.